Humane bleeder arrow

ABSTRACT

A humane hunting arrow which is particularly designed to most effectively obtain the utmost bleed-out possible for a given hit in the shortest period of time. The shaft of the arrow is hollow and is designed to facilitate passage of blood therethrough. Further, the shaft may be provided, either on its inside or outside surfaces, with one or a plurality of weakened areas in the form of grooves, scratches, scored or marked lines, or the like, for facilitating shearing of the arrow shaft thereat after the hit has been registered. Clean breakage of the arrow shaft at the point adjacent the animal&#39;s flesh facilitates bleed-out. The broadhead arrow tip includes an opening for creating a reservoir near the open front end of the arrow shaft for further facilitating and expediting the passage of blood therethrough. The element for attaching the broadhead to the shaft allows the complete inside diameter of the arrow shaft to be free of obstructions to further facilitate bleed-out. The attachment element further provides a tension arrangement which allows the pointed broadhead to easily enter the hide and to slide off bone and hard cartilage beneath the hide to enable the broadhead to penetrate the flesh of the animal deep enough to even further facilitate bleed-out.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to hunting arrows and, moreparticularly, is related to a bleeder arrow which includes a hollowshaft through which the blood of an animal hit by the arrow may pass.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is well-known that an animal will usually bleed to death when hithard with a broadhead arrow in almost any fleshy area. However, many biggame animals hit with a broadhead are unfortunately not hit with anarrow that is placed well enough to cause death instantly or within atime frame that would minimize the animal's suffering. That is to say,many big game animals hit hard with a broadhead arrow must unfortunatelysuffer inhumanely for a considerable length of time until death occurs.Clearly, the suffering of the animal would be minimized if the bleedingwhich results from a hard hit broadhead arrow could be maximized. Thesefactors also come into play when tracking an animal which has been hitby a broadhead. Normally, with a slow bleeding animal, it is difficultto track and find the kill and put the animal out of its misery. It istherefore clear that it would be highly desirable to expedite thebleed-out process in such a fashion that the suffering of the animalcould be minimized.

Occasionally, an animal hit hard by a broadhead arrow can manage to pulland remove the broadhead and arrow shaft from its body. This actionsometimes facilitates bleed-out, and sometimes retards it, dependingupon the manner in which the broadhead is pulled out. That is, forexample, since the blades of a broadhead are usually razor sharp, theysever the animal's tissue very cleanly, and when the arrow is removedfrom the body of the animal the tissue naturally falls back into placethereby sealing off the exit passage to a certain degree therebyinhibiting bleed-out. Further, muscle and fat tissue tend to close upand seal off slow bleeding areas to a certain degree in a naturalattempt to heal the wound. In the case of an animal hit hard with abroadhead, the actual healing never takes place, and the foregoingprocess therefore unduly prolongs bleed-out and suffering of the animal.

The several materials from which present day arrow shafts may be madeeach contribute certain advantages and disadvantages relative to theanimal's suffering described above. For example, with a solid woodenshaft, depending on the depth and location of the hit, it may bepossible for the animal to remove the wooden shaft from the wound toprovide for freer bleeding through the wound and faster death to theanimal. However, when protruding from a fleeing animal, the shaft willgenerally break off close to the animal's side upon encounteringresistance of heavy brush or trees. The portion of the solid arrow shaftremaining in the animal restricts bleeding thereby prolonging death andsuffering of the animal. Additionally, as the animal bites and breaksthe wooden shaft off when attempting to remove the broadhead from itsbody, the shaft breaks and splinters easily many times. Where the animalis not hit hard enough to cause death, he must continue to live with thebroadhead and remaining portion of the shaft in his body.

In contrast, an aluminum shaft arrow is very tough and not as fragile asthe wooden shaft arrow. Thus, when an animal is not hit hard enough withan aluminum shaft arrow to cause death, he may likely completely removethe broadhead and shaft from his body and continue to live in a humanemanner. One hit hard with a broadhead may also remove an aluminum shaftto expedite bleeding and thereby minimize suffering. However, because analuminum shaft does not easily break, it remains protruding from afleeing animal, which increases the pain and suffering as the animalruns through trees and brush. In those rare instances where the aluminumshaft does happen to break it does not break off cleanly, but rathertends to kink or bend. The characteristics of fiberglass arrow shaftsare quite similar to aluminum arrow shafts.

With any type of arrow shaft, when the broadhead becomes wedged behindthe bone or cartilage of the animal, it is impossible for the animal toremove the arrow. In such a case, the animal must carry the shaftprotruding from its body for the duration of the bleed-out process,which thereby becomes prolonged due to the restrictive nature of theshaft in the wound.

Those familiar with the sport of archery hunting know the advantages anddisadvantages of both the sharp-pointed broadhead and the chisel-pointedbroadhead. The chisel-pointed broadhead will usually slide off bone whenthe bone is not hit squarely and find its way deeper into the flesh, butmany times it will glance off the animal's hide if the animal is runningor standing in an off-and-away position to the shot. On the other hand,the sharp-pointed broadhead will usually enter the hide easily, but thesharp point may catch and become stopped by bone in many cases.

A conventionally attached (brazed or glued) chisel-pointed broadheadmust move the complete shaft (about 30 inches from the tip to thetrailing end) the distance of the angle taken by the broadhead when itchanges direction sliding off the bone, which can reduce the efficiencyof the shot.

It would be advantageous if a broadhead design could be provided thatcaptures the advantages while eliminating any disadvantages of bothcommon prior art broadhead designs.

The prior art teaches the provision of hollow arrow shafts to provide aflow-through passage for blood. Pertinent U.S. Pat. Nos. in this generalarea of which we are aware include: 1,604,713; 2,554,012; 3,393,912;3,617,060; and 3,897,062.

The Cohen patent (2,554,012) is exemplary in illustrating a hollow arrowshaft 10 which includes perforations 13 therealong for receiving theblood. An arrowhead 16 is provided with blades 15 which are designed toprevent easy removal of the arrow. The De Lonais patent (3,393,912)illustrates a hollow cylindrical arrow shaft 6 provided at its forwardend with a pair of blood inlet ports 28 and 30 and at its rear end witha pair of discharge ports 40.

While we have found that the prior art structures exemplified by thesepatents overcome some of the deficiencies of the solid wood, aluminumand fiberglass arrow shafts noted above, we find that they are stillseverely deficient with respect to providing the most expeditious andtherefore humane bleed-out for an animal hit by a broadhead. One of thedisadvantages of the prior art designs is their failure to take intoaccount the various impedances to fluid flow created by changinginternal diameters, obstructions, and the like, within the hollow arrowshafts. Clearly, such obstructions minimize fluid flow velocity therebyincreasing bleed-out time.

None of the prior art references take into account the design of thebroadhead in facilitating and expediting bleed-out. In fact, thebroadheads of both Cohen an De Lonais, for example, are designed tomaintain the arrow shaft within the animal, even in the case of a lighthit. Since an animal hit with a broadhead will pull ferociously in anattempt to remove the arrow and broadhead from his body, the animal willoften succeed, even with a barbed type arrowhead, thereby defeating thepurpose of the hollow shafts. Further, barbed broadheads are generallyinhumane, especially in cases of light hits where death would notnormally result. Additionally, since it is likely that the hollow arrowshafts of the Cohen and De Lonais devices are made with aluminum orfiberglass (since the spine and flex requirements would be difficult tomeet with a wooden arrow having a hollow shaft), and with their barbedbroadheads are intended to prevent removal thereof from the body, thesame inhumane treatment of a fleeing animal with a protruding arrowshaft hitting and banging on trees and brush would result as describedabove with respect to solid shafts.

Archery hunting from tree stands causes the arrow to enter the animaldownwardly, so that the trailing end of the arrow is usually slightlyupwardly from the animal's body. For the hollow arrow shaft of DeLonais, for example, the blood would have to travel against gravity forthe full length of the shaft before exiting the outlet ports. It wouldnaturally provide for a more expeditious bleed-out if such were not thecase.

One of the main disadvantages of the prior art hollow arrow shaftdesigns, as exemplified by the Cohen and the De Lonais patents, is that,in spite of their hollow shafts, the bleed-out time is relatively slowcompared to what it could be if the various factors and elementscomprising such arrow shafts could be designed with maximum bleed-out inmind.

Of the remaining patents cited above, the Iezzi patent (3,617,060)discloses a hollow hunting arrow which is designed to induce lungcollapse, while the Norlund patent (1,604,713) illustrates an arrow head9 which is designed to prevent the arrowhead from being easily removed.Finally, the Christensen patent (3,897,062) teaches an arrowhead whichis particularly designed to cause heavy bleeding.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide animproved bleeder arrow which overcomes all of the deficiencies notedabove with respect to prior art hunting arrows.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a hollow arrowshaft by means of which the suffering period of the animal hit hard witha broadhead is greatly reduced by obtaining expeditious bleed-out of theanimal, thereby providing for a quicker kill and hence minimizing theanimal's suffering.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a highly effectiveand humane hunting arrow which is particularly designed to cause deathto the animal that is hit hard with its broadhead in absolutely theminimum amount of time with respect to a given hit.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novelbleeder arrow design which permits the animal that is not hit hardenough to cause death to easily remove the complete broadhead and arrowshaft from its body and thereby allow it to continue to live a mercifuland humane life.

Another general object of the present invention is to provide a noveland unique bleeder arrow design which incorporates all of the advantagesof wooden, aluminum and fiberglass arrow shaft designs, whileeliminating all of the disadvantages thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novelbleeder arrow having a hollow shaft which is of simple design which maybe easily and inexpensively manufactured by known technology, and whichdoes not in any way threaten or depreciate the traditions or the sportof big game archery hunting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a big game huntingarrow which is advantageous and humane for any given hit no matter whatthe depth of penetration and/or severity of the wound.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a uniquehollow arrow shaft for use with a broadhead arrow tip which togetherminimize resistance to flow of the blood therethrough and therebymaximize bleed-out within the shortest possible period of time.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novelbroadhead design for use in conjunction with a hollow arrow shaft whichincludes means for enhancing withdrawal of blood from the animal.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a novelmeans for attaching the broadhead to the shaft which permits the formerto shift from side to side under tension upon hard impact when theimpact force is not squarely concentrated.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention through the provision of a hunting arrowwhich comprises an elongated, hollow shaft having an inner surface, anouter surface and means formed thereon for facilitating the shearing ofthe shaft at the position thereof. The means in one embodiment comprisesa plurality of individual grooves which extend circumferentially and arespaced longitudinally along the shaft. The plurality of grooves may beformed either on the inner surface or the outer surface of the shaft,and in its most simple form comprises a single groove which extendscircumferentially about the shaft in a selected position.

In an alternate embodiment, the means comprises at least one groovespirally formed on the shaft on either its inner or outer surface. Asecond groove may be spirally formed on the shaft in a sense opposite tothat of the first spiral groove, and there may further be included aplurality of spiral grooves intersecting and overlapping on the arrowshaft.

In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, the shaftincludes an open front end and the inner surface thereof is smooth andof a substantially constant diameter along the entire length of theshaft to present minimum resistance to flow of blood therethrough. Theinvention may further include arrowhead means attached to the open frontend of the shaft so as not to obstruct fluid flow thereinto. In apreferred form the arrowhead means may comprise a sleeve affixed to theouter surface of the shaft, a substantially planar broadhead removablymounted on the sleeve, and a substantially planar blade insert orientedat right angles to the broadhead and removably mounted on the sleeve andbroadhead.

In accordance with yet other aspects of the present invention, thebroadhead and the blade insert each include means formed therein forestablishing a space between the animal tissue and the open end of theshaft to facilitate blood flow thereinto. The space establishing meansin a preferred form includes aperture means formed in the broadhead andin the blade insert which are somewhat heart-shaped and form areservoir-like space. The broadhead and blade insert each terminate atlike ends thereof in spaced base prongs which are adapted to be receivedin the sleeve, and holes are preferably formed in the spaced base prongsfor facilitating the installation and removal of the broadhead and theblade insert.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, means are providedfor coupling the broadhead to the shaft for permitting the former toshift laterally upon impact. In a preferred form, this means comprisesspaced, planar base prongs in the broadhead having edgewise rectangularcutouts for spring-like positioning about a sleeve affixed to the frontend of the shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood when considered in connectionwith the following detailed description of the present invention viewedin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one preferred embodiment of the bleeder arrowof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially broken and partially in section, of thefront end of the preferred embodiment of the arrow illustrated in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the arrow shaft of the preferredembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 and taken along line 3--3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the arrow shaft shown in FIG. 3 and takenalong line 4--4 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an arrow shaft of an alternateembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the alternate embodiment illustrated inFIG. 5 and taken along line 6--6 thereof;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, sectional view of the arrowhead illustrated inFIG. 2 and taken along line 7--7 thereof;

FIG. 8 is a partial view of an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a partial view of yet another alternate embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial view of yet another alternative embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 11 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating analternate construction of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals representidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and moreparticularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is illustrated a preferredembodiment of the bleeder arrow of the present invention which includesa hollow arrow shaft that is indicated generally by reference numeral10.

Hollow arrow shaft 10 includes a rear end 12 which is normally providedwith fin means indicated by reference numeral 14 as well as a bifurcatedtip 16 for receiving the bowstring, as is conventional.

The forward end 18 of the hollow arrow shaft 10 includes an arrowheadindicated generally by reference numeral 20, the structure and functionof which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1is provided with a plurality of circumferentially formed weakened,marked or scored areas indicated by grooves 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34,36, 38 and 40. The weakened areas or grooves 22 through 40 are providedat spaced, regular positions along the length of arrow shaft 10 and areintended to facilitate the shearing of the arrow shaft 10 after theanimal has been hit. That is, when the arrow shaft 10 protrudes from afleeing animal that has been hit thereby, the grooved portions 22through 40 cause the shaft to break off quickly and easily uponencountering the first resistance of trees, heavy brush, or the like.The arrow breaks off clean and completely allowing no portions to hangor dangle. While such characteristics are similar to those of a solidwooden arrow shaft, unlike the latter, the present invention will notrestrict bleed-out when it remains in the wound after being broken off.In contrast, the present invention, due to the grooved hollow shaft thatensures a clean shear, and other design features to be describedhereinafter, provides means whereby the blood exits the animal's bodyexpeditiously in a minimum amount of time, therefore causing death tooccur quickly and with a very minimal amount of suffering. Morespecifically, the clean break afforded by the scored or weakened area onthe hollow arrow shaft provides a blood outlet port which is sized tothe full undistorted circumference of the shaft which minimizesresistance to blood flow.

In the case of a hard hit, the shaft will break off close to theanimal's side to provide the means for the portion of the shaft that isneeded for blood drainage to remain in the animal without the need of abarbed type inhumane broadhead. The forwardmost groove 22 is preferablyplaced approximately two to six inches rearwardly of the arrowhead 20,thereby allowing an animal not hit hard enough to cause death to removethe broadhead by grasping the ungrooved portion of the shaft 10 betweengroove 22 and arrowhead 20. Such an animal will therefore be permittedto continue to live in a humane manner.

The arrow shaft 10 of the present invention is preferably comprised of atough, durable material, such as for example, aluminum or fiberglass, inorder to prevent splintering or uneven breakage of the shaft when theanimal is pulling to remove it. Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, thereare illustrated two sectional views of the arrow shaft 10 of FIG. 1.Reference numeral 42 refers to the outer surface of shaft 10, whilereference numeral 44 refers to the inner surface thereof. Inner surface44 of shaft 10 is preferably smooth and of a continuous diameter fromone end of the shaft 10 to the other. Reference numeral 40 representsthe groove formed in the outer circumference of shaft 10, in a manner tobe described in greater detail hereinafter, and which is formed to adepth indicated by reference numeral 48. The grooves 22 through 40 maybe of a depth inwardly of the outer surface 42 to the extent necessaryto create the desired effect. Considerations include the type ofmaterial being utilized for the shaft 10, its strength, thickness andhardness, and other factors.

The process utilized to form the grooves 22 through 40 could be anywell-known mechanical, chemical or electrical process. For example, theprocess may be such as to roll the material of an already-formedsubstantially cylindrical arrow shaft thereby displacing the materialthereabout and forming the groove therein. The result of utilizing sucha rolling process is illustrated in a sectional view in FIG. 11, whereinreference numeral 60 indicates the hollow arrow shaft. Hollow arrowshaft 60 includes an outer surface 62, an inner surface 64, and an outergroove 66 formed circumferentially thereabout by rolling. In this case,the material has a tendency to be pushed inwardly to form acorresponding inner groove 68 on the inner wall 64 of the hollow shaft60. This, in turn, results in a negligible decrease in size in the innerdiameter of the shaft 60, while the rolling process builds stress pointsinto the length of the arrow shaft thereby allowing the shaft to flexwithout breaking as it normally would without the shear grooves.Accordingly, by rolling the grooves 66, the arrow shaft is provided withthe means to flex as would a normal, unscored shaft, and is alsoprovided with preformed weakened areas allowing the shaft to shear andbreak off and thereby function as an improved bleeder arrow according tothe present invention.

As an alternative to forming the grooves by rolling, the grooves may beformed by cutting and removing material from particular areas along theshaft (e.g. by scoring, scratching, marking, or the like), by formingthe material into the desired shape by building into the shaft thedesired high and low stress areas, or by fluctuating the wall thicknessof the material along the shaft as it is being constructed to therebycreate the desired weakened areas. The shaft may also be formed bymolding processes or any conventional technique.

The grooves or weakened portions of the arrow shaft may be formed on theoutside surface of the shaft, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, or onthe inside surface thereof as illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 5 and 6to which attention is now directed. Reference numeral 50 indicates ahollow arrow shaft having a smooth outer surface 52, an inner surface54, and a scored groove or weakened area 56 extending circumferentiallyon the inner surface 54. It is preferred, for reasons which will becomemore clear hereinafter, to provide the weakened portions or grooves onthe outer surface of the shaft, to thereby provide a smooth, continuousand constant diameter inner surface. Further, the grooves are moreeasily formed on the outer surface of the shaft, but it should beunderstood that it is clearly within the scope of the present inventionto form the weakened portions on the inner surface.

The location of the grooves 22 through 40 (FIG. 1) along the shaft 10may, as illustrated, range along the total length of the shaft.Alternatively, only a portion of the shaft may have the weakened areas,if desired. A factor which influences the positioning and number ofgrooves on the arrow shaft is the type of big game animal being hunted,since the arrow penetrates certain hides more easily and deeply thanothers.

Referring now to FIG. 8, reference numeral 112 indicates a spiral grooveformed along shaft 10, which, again, may be formed on the inside surfaceor outside surface thereof. FIG. 9 indicates by reference numerals 114and 116 a pair of spiral grooves which are formed on opposite sensesalong the arrow shaft 10, along either the inner or outer surfacethereof. FIG. 10 indicates multiple cross-spiral grooves 118, 120, 122and 124 which again may be formed on either the inside or outsidesurface of shaft 10, or a combination thereof.

Clearly, other patterns of weakened portions or grooves are clearlywithin the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, and with reference also to FIG. 7, thearrowhead 20 of the present invention will now be explained in greaterdetail. The arrowhead 20 includes a substantially cylindrical sleevemember 70 open at both ends and affixed to the front end 18 of the shaft10. A substantially planar broadhead 72 includes a pair of forwardlyprojecting sharpened edges 74 and 76 and a pair of rear edges 75 and 77.Centrally formed on broadhead 72 is a cut-out "reservoir" area 78, thesize of which permits weight variations in the arrowhead 20 to beeffectuated. The reservoir area 78 is, in a preferred embodiment, formedby a pair of heart-shaped edges 80 and 82 which meet at an apex 84.Rearward blade edges 75 and 77 form base portions 86 and 88 of broadhead72 which are adapted to be mounted on the exterior of sleeve member 70.A pair of apertures 90 and 92 are provided in the bases 86 and 88,respectively, and are adapted to be engaged by a pair of reverse pliersto facilitate installation and removal of broadhead 72 on sleeve 70.Alternatively, a pair of angled cutouts, indicated in dotted outline byreference numerals 87 and 89, may be provided to permit the broadhead 72to slidingly engage sleeve 70 without requiring pliers. The broadhead 72is preferably heat treated to incorporate adequate spring tension.

A substantially planar razor blade insert 94 is positioned at rightangles with respect to the plane of broadhead 72 and includes a pair offorwardly projecting sharpened edges 96 and 98 as well as a pair ofrearwardly projecting sharpened edges 97 and 99. The front edges 96 and98 meet in a bifurcated tip 100 which fits about the apex 84 ofreservoir area 78 of broadhead 72. The rearward portion of razor bladeinsert 94 is provided with spaced bases 106 and 110 which also include apair of apertures 102 and 104 to facilitate installation and removalthereof. Similar to broadhead 72, razor blade insert 94 is provided witha heart-shaped cut out 108 which, together with cut out 78, forms aunique reservoir area.

The reservoir area defined by the cut outs 78 and 108 receive theflowing blood from the tissue severed by edges 74, 76, 96 and 98 andguide it towards and into the open end of the hollow shaft. Thisfacilitates the entrance of the blood from the severed animal tissueinto the end of the hollow arrow shaft to thereby further expedite thebleed-out of the animal. In use, the edges of the broadhead 72 andinsert 94 form a reservoir area with cut outs 78 and 108 into which theblood from the animal tissue collects, to thereafter enter the hollowshaft 10, flow rapidly along its inside surface and exit outside theanimal's body where the shaft 10 has been sheared at a weakened areathereof.

The broadhead 72 has a relatively sharp forward tip 73 which ensureseasy penetration into the animal's hide under most conditions. Due tothe mode of attachment of the base portions 86 and 88 to sleeve 70, thebroadhead 72 is able to shift from side to side under tension upon hardimpact when the impact force is not squarely concentrated. Such would bethe case when hitting a bone or hard cartilage off center. There is nodanger of the broadhead becoming unattached to the arrow shaft. Afterpassing the bone the broadhead 72 will automatically right itself inplace on the sleeve 70 of shaft 18.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision ofminimal resistance to flow of the blood from the point where thearrowhead enters the tissue through to the exit area from the hollowshaft. Preferably, the inner surface of the hollow shaft is smooth andof a substantially constant diameter along its entire length. Therefore,the shaft 10, in combination with the unique arrowhead design 20,permits liquid to enter freely and unrestricted the full inside diameterof the shaft and exit from the full inside diameter thereof. Asdistinguished from the prior art, the present invention in a preferredform provides no inserts in the shaft, no change in diameter size wherethe liquid must flow, no restriction in the full inside diameter of theshaft with respect to the entry or exit of liquid, and no change in theshape of the passage within which the blood flows. The arrowhead 20 isfastened to the shaft on the outside thereof to prevent disturbance tothe free and rapid flow of blood into, through and out from the shaft.

It may be appreciated by virtue of the foregoing that we have provided anew and unique big game hunting arrow which, by means of weakened areasalong the inside and/or outside surface of the shaft, in conjunctionwith a novel arrowhead design, ensures that an animal which is hit hardwith the broadhead will be killed in a minimum amount of time, providesmeans whereby an animal that is not hit hard enough with the broadheadto cause death may easily remove the complete broadhead and shaft fromits body and continue to live a merciful and humane life, provides allof the advantages of wooden, aluminum and fiberglass arrow shafts whileavoiding the disdvantages thereof, and thereby provides a mosteffective, humane hunting arrow.

The positioning of the weakened areas along the shaft may be controlledto ensure a uniform, accurate, and safe shear strength for the shaft ofthe arrow. This may, naturally, differ from arrow to arrow to suit aparticular bow draw and weight. The manufacturing process may also becontrolled such that the spine and flex of the arrow will be comparableto a conventional arrow of the same class and category for a particularbow size and type, including the new compound bow.

The present invention also permits the broadhead to shift independentlyof the shaft under tension. It is neither brazed nor glued to the shaft,as with prior art designs, and therefore shooting efficiency is furtherenhanced.

Inasmuch as the present invention is designed to provide for the mostexpeditious bleed-out of the animal, it follows that more blood will beshed in a shorter distance, thereby providing an easier-to-follow bloodtrail when tracking the animal. This, in turn, will result in more findsand less kills in vain. It will also result in faster finds, which meansthat a wounded animal can be found sooner and put out of its misery.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

We claim as our invention:
 1. Apparatus, which comprises a hunting arrowincluding an elongated, hollow shaft having an inner surface, an outersurface and groove means formed thereon for facilitating the shearing ofsaid shaft at the position thereof, said groove means comprising atleast one groove extending circumferentially about said shaft, whereinsaid inner surface is smooth and of a substantially constant diameteralong the entire lenght of said shaft and wherein said arrow includes anopen front end at the forward portion of said shaft of a diameter equalto said constant diameter, and further comprising arrowhead meansattached to said open front end of said arrow so as not to obstructfluid flow thereinto, said arrowhead means comprising a sleeve affixedto said outer surfaces of said shaft, a substantially planar broadheadremovably mountable on said sleeve, and a substantially planar bladeinsert oriented at right angles to said broadhead and removablymountable on said sleeve and broadhead.
 2. The apparatus as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said broadhead and said blade insert each include meansformed therein for establishing a space between the animal tissue andsaid open end of said shaft to facilitate blood flow thereinto.
 3. Thehunting arrow as set forth in claim 2, wherein said space establishingmeans includes apertures formed in said broadhead and in said bladeinsert.
 4. The hunting arrow as set forth in claim 3, wherein saidapertures are somewhat heart-shaped.
 5. The hunting arrow as set forthin claim 3, wherein said broadhead and said blade insert each terminateat like ends thereof in spaced base prongs adapted to be received insaid sleeve.
 6. Apparatus, which comprises a hunting arrow, including ahunting broadhead, a nock and a shaft, said shaft comprising anelongated, hollow shaft having an inner surface, an outer surface andmeans formed thereon for facilitating the shearing of said shaft at theposition thereof, wherein said means comprises a plurality of individualgrooves extending circumferentially and spaced longitudinally along saidshaft.
 7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said pluralityof grooves are formed on the inner surface of said shaft.
 8. Theapparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said plurality of grooves areformed on the outer surface of said shaft.
 9. Apparatus, which comprisesa hunting arrow including a hunting broadhead, a nock and a shaft, saidshaft comprising an elongated, hollow shaft having an inner surface, anouter surface and means formed thereon for facilitating the shearing ofsaid shaft at the position thereof, wherein said means comprises atleast one groove spirally formed on said shaft, said groove extending ina spiral fashion about the circumference of said shaft a plurality oftimes and having a pitch approximately on the order of magnitude or lessthan the diameter of said shaft.
 10. The apparatus as set forth in claim9, wherein said groove is formed on the inner surface of said shaft. 11.The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said groove is formed onthe outer surface of said shaft.
 12. The apparatus as set forth in claim9, further comprising a second groove spirally formed on said shaft in asense opposite to that of said one groove.
 13. The apparatus as setforth in claim 9, further comprising a plurality of grooves spirallyformed on said shaft.
 14. A hunting arrow, which comprises a huntingbroadhead, a nock and a shaft, said shaft comprising an elongated,hollow shaft having an inner surface, an outer surface and groove meansformed thereon for facilitating the shearing of said shaft at theposition thereof, wherein said groove means comprises at least onegroove extending circumferentially about said shaft.
 15. A huntingarrow, which comprises an elongated, hollow shaft having an innersurface, an outer surface and means formed thereon for facilitating theshearing of said shaft at the position thereof, said shaft including anopen front end and further comprising arrowhead means attached to saidopen front end of said shaft so as not to obstruct fluid flowthereinto;wherein said arrowhead means comprises a sleeve affixed tosaid outer surface of said shaft, a substantially planar broadheadremovably mountable on said sleeve, and a substantially planar bladeinsert oriented at right angles to said broadhead and removablymountable on said sleeve and broadhead, said broadhead and said bladeinsert each including means formed therein for establishing a spacebetween the animal tissue and said open end of said shaft to facilitateblood flow thereinto, said space establishing means including aperturesformed in said broadhead and in said blade insert; wherein saidbroadhead and said blade insert each terminate at like ends thereof inspaced base prongs adapted to be received in said sleeve, and furthercomprising hole means formed in said spaced base prongs for facilitatinginstallation and removal of said broadhead and said blade insert.
 16. Ahunting arrow, which comprises an elongated, hollow shaft having aninner surface, an outer surface and means formed thereon forfacilitating the shearing of said shaft at the position thereof, saidshaft including an open front end and further comprising arrowhead meansattached to said shaft so as not to obstruct fluid flow thereinto,andfurther comprising means for coupling said arrowhead means to said shaftto permit said arrowhead means to shift laterally with respect to saidshaft upon impact, said coupling means comprising a sleeve affixed tothe outer surface of one end of said shaft, said arrowhead meansincluding spaced base prongs adapted to be received about said sleeve;wherein said arrowhead means comprises a substantially planar broadheadwith said prongs formed at the rearward end thereof and including meansfor accommodating said sleeve therewithin.
 17. The hunting arrow as setforth in claim 16, wherein said sleeve accommodating means comprises apair of elongated cutouts one formed on the inner edge of each of saidprongs.
 18. Apparatus, which comprises a hunting arrow including anelongated, hollow shaft having an inner surface, an outer surface andgroove means formed thereon for facilitating the shearing of said shaftat the position thereof, said groove means comprising a plurality ofindividual grooves extending circumferentially and spaced longitudinallyalong said shaft, wherein said inner surface is smooth and of asubstantially constant diameter along the entire length of said shaftand wherein said arrow includes an open front end at the forward portionof said shaft of a diameter equal to said constant diameter, and furthercomprising arrowhead means attached to said open front end of said arrowso as not to obstruct fluid flow thereinto, said arrowhead meanscomprising a sleeve affixed to said outer surfaces of said shaft, asubstantially planar broadhead removably mountable on said sleeve, and asubstantially planar blade insert oriented at right angles to saidbroadhead and removably mountable on said sleeve and broadhead. 19.Apparatus, which comprises a hunting arrow including an elongated,hollow shaft having an inner surface, an outer surface and groove meansformed thereon for facilitating the shearing of said shaft at theposition thereof, said groove means comprising at least one groovespirally formed on said shaft, said groove extending about thecircumference of said shaft a plurality of times and having a pitchapproximately on the order of magnitude or less than the diameter ofsaid shaft, wherein said inner surface is smooth and of a substantiallyconstant diameter along the entire length of said shaft and wherein saidarrow includes an open front end at the forward portion of said shaft ofa diameter equal to said constant diameter, and further comprisingarrowhead means attached to said open front end of said arrow so as notto obstruct fluid flow thereinto, said arrowhead means comprising asleeve affixed to said outer surface of said shaft, a substantiallyplanar broadhead removably mountable on said sleeve, and a substantiallyplanar blade insert oriented at right angles on said sleeve andbroadhead.